Evolution of an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course (618.15)

Abstract

Undergraduate laboratory courses represent interactive learning in its purest form, where direct observation provides a mechanism by which students can begin to appreciate the ways in which scientific research is carried out. Designing an effective laboratory course can be a herculean task and often takes into account several important factors: the number of semesters the course will span, whether there is a departmental mandate for subjects to be taught, and importantly whether there is an existing class that can be modified or a course that must be started from scratch. Advocates of research‐like courses cite favorable post‐transformation student assessments as justification for supporting these curricular changes while lacking comparable pre‐transformation evaluations. A unique aspect of the pedagogical approach in this course has been the accumulation of long term pre‐transformation assessments which we can directly relate to the post‐transformation evaluations. In this presentation we outline the rationale behind the de novo development of a one‐semester undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course and its evolution from a traditional “methods and techniques” based course to a more research oriented experience. The motivation to make these changes was not based upon our highly favorable attitudinal assessments; rather they were brought about by the desire to better prepare students who are currently engaged in laboratory research or will begin doing so upon completion of our course.